Individualism In The Play Trifles

Each human being has been taught the art of individualism. Civilization after civilization has manipulated the life of its members through selling the idea of independence and self-sufficiency. Creating social taboos and setting labels that serve as the stigma of the community, are some of the techniques use to oppress individuals as components of the greater scheme that is society. The belief of individualism, the big banner that says it is fine to be different, has become the current most followed idea of the free world. The question is whether or not such individualism exists or if it is nothing more than a created fantasy used to shape the existence of a race? For instance, the civilize system one lives in today, denies individuals of many …show more content…
The play “Trifles” was published in the year 1916. During this time most of the United States of America was composed of farms. Indeed, it was during this time that the Great Depression started; influenced by the economic problems the country encountered as World War I continued to erupt. Although these social events are not mentioned in the play, the vivid description of the daily lives of rural women in America and their individual struggle makes the reader aware of the time period. Furthermore, the description of the two women clearly shows the role of females at the time; given that the only reference the readers are given about the women is their husbands’ last name, Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale. The author’s use of simple words makes it easy to read while making the characters’ conversations sound sophisticated. There are two important male characters in the play, Mr. Henderson who is the county attorney and Mr. Peters who is the sheriff, therefore the language use by them most be at the level of such titles. Mrs. Hale, a neighboring farmer, and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife are key characters that portray the social crisis of women at the time. Although these two women belong to different economic classes, both decided to conceal crime evidence in order to defend their gender. This action describes the desperation of women at the time to be united, to have the freedom of making a choice of their own and be in charge of their own lives. As Karen Stein says in her article “Trifles”, “The women here realize, through their involvement in the murder investigation, that only by joining together can they, isolated and insignificant in their society, obtain for themselves and extend to others the support and sympathy that will help them endure the loneliness and unceasing labor required of them” (Alkalay, 2). The image of women as housekeepers and